The astute reader will notice only 12 names have been given. How can you have a knockout tournament that's not a power of two? You can't!

Four Chess.com members will qualify to round out the field (last year only one earned a spot).

That means to take the title in 2017, you have to win an extra match, and we could potentially see Carlsen four times instead of three. As such, the prize fund goes from $40,000 to $50,000. Mo' money, mo' problems (to be solved amicably on the chessboard, of course).

Since you'll want to set your calendars now and plan a "workday sickness" (ahem, we mean "personal day"), the tentative match dates are below.

For more information on the 2017 Speed Chess Championship, read FM Mike Klein's news on the event.

Check this space soon for official dates, times, and matches.

The qualifiers will be on the four Tuesdays in April: the 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. Chess.com will host four Titled Tuesdays instead of the usual one, and the four individual winners earn a qualification spot. If there's a tie in a Titled Tuesday, then there will be an Armageddon game immediately after the event (or a similar blitz tiebreak if more than two are tied).

You can only qualify (or be seeded) once, so if a player already earning a ticket (or being invited) wins a Titled Tuesday, then the second-place person qualifies, and if there are multiple players in second, the same blitz game tiebreakers will apply.

After the month ends, Chess.com will seed these four qualifiers as per their blitz rating on May 1. The lowest-rated of the four qualifiers plays the #1 seed, which is Carlsen. The second-lowest plays the second seed, and so on.

When the main event begins, here are the prizes:

Round 1 (16 players, 8 matches): $16,000. $1,000 to the winner of each match. $1,000 split between match winner and loser by total win percentage.

Round 2 (8 players, 4 matches): $12,000. $1,500 to the winner of each match. $1,500 split between match winner and loser by total win percentage.

Finals, Round 4 (2 players, 1 match): $10,000. $5,000 to the winner, the title of Speed Chess Champion and a trophy with name engraved. $5,000 split between match winner and loser by total win percentage.

Just like last year, the matches will be three hours of nearly non-stop chess. The first segment will again be 90 minutes of 5+2. There will follow 60 minutes of 3+2, followed by 30 minutes of 1+1. Players will be given only a three-minute break between sections and will be on a live webcam at all times. Chess960 remains but this time will occur as the final game in each section, not the beginning game.

Check Chess.com/newsin the coming weeks for more information on this exciting event.